Guilt is maximized when reparation costs are moderate or uncertain.

Evidence

Although the difficulty of making reparations implies a cost in terms of the amount of effort necessary in order for reparations to occur, the perceived costs of reparations to men can extend well beyond their required effort. Such perceived costs can be thought of as reasons for not engaging in reparations, and thus, constitute a deterrent to collective guilt. As with perceived difficulty, this theory of emotional intensity suggests that men’s collective guilt will be lowest when costs are perceived to be very low or very high. However, the intensity of men’s collective guilt will be maximized when the costs of reparations are unknown or when the perceived costs approach, but do not exceed, the point at which they outweigh the importance of making reparations. — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt, 580

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Collective guilt follows an inverted-U curve peaking when reparations require moderate effort. — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt: International…, 574; High identifiers experience more collective guilt when reparation importance outweighs perceived costs. — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt: International…, 587; Collective guilt peaks at moderate rather than low or high reparation difficulty — Michael T. Schmitt, Daniel A. Miller, Nyla R. Branscombe, and Jack W. Brehm, The Difficulty of Making Reparations…, 4 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Reparation difficulty has an inverted-U effect on collective guilt #corroborates (0.95) — Torsten Masson and Markus Barth, The identification-guilt paradox…, 70
• Collective guilt peaks at moderate rather than low or high reparation difficulty #expands (0.94) — Michael T. Schmitt, Daniel A. Miller, Nyla R. Branscombe, and Jack W. Brehm, The Difficulty of Making Reparations…, 4
• Men feel most collective guilt when reparations are moderately difficult. #exemplifies (0.90) — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt, 575
• High identifiers experience more collective guilt when reparation importance outweighs perceived costs. #qualifies (0.78) — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt, 587
• The perceived cost of reparations functions as a rhetorical deterrent to feeling guilt #qualifies (0.75) — Michael T. Schmitt, Daniel A. Miller, Nyla R. Branscombe, and Jack W. Brehm, The Difficulty of Making Reparations…, 79
• Social-identity and privilege threats also deter collective guilt beyond reparation costs. #qualifies (0.74) — Michael T. Schmitt, Daniel A. Miller, Nyla R. Branscombe, and Jack W. Brehm, The Difficulty of Making Reparations…, 73
• The reparation-difficulty effect is specific to guilt, not other emotions. #qualifies (0.72) — Michael T. Schmitt, Daniel A. Miller, Nyla R. Branscombe, and Jack W. Brehm, The Difficulty of Making Reparations…, 86